Essay - Human Behavior Explored in the Works of John Milton the...

Human Behavior Explored in the Works of John Milton

***** English poet ***** Milton was born on December 9 1608 in London, near St. Paul's Cathedral. This remarkable birthplace serves to be prophetic as ***** ********** one of the most outspoken voices f his time regarding human behavior and one's relationship with God. Milton was one of three children born to John and Sara *****. Their family parish, All Hallows, was famous for reforming Puritan ministers. Milton's father was a professional scrivener as well as a musician and composer. (Skerpan-Wheeler) In 1620, Milton attended St. Paul's school ***** in 1625, he entered Christ's College of the University of Cambridge. Here Milton studied logic, rhetoric, and ethics and became bishop ***** Cork in 1638. He wrote two books about preach*****g during t***** time and within a few years, he was "composing strong, if humorous critiques of strict old-fashi*****d Aristotelian philosophy" (*****). Milton left Cambridge and became a private student in 1632 in hopes to "serve his country by becoming a 'relater of ***** best and sagest things among mine own Citizens'" (Skerpan-W*****eler). Milton concluded his education by touring Italy and other countries. When he returned to Britain because of news ***** the civil unrest in Brita*****, Milton was a tutor but he also began to publish pamphlets known as "antiprelatical tracts" (Skerpan-Wheeler). Many of Mil*****n's works exploited conventions and traditions ***** some expose his reasons for not ***** a clergyman. Albert C. Labriola asserts, "Milton's chief polemical prose was written... ***** the str*****e between the Church of England and various reformist groups such as ***** Puritans and between the monarch ***** Parliament" (Labriola). Labriola ***** asserts that these works, "advocate a freedom of conscience *****nd a high degree of ***** liberty for humankind against the various forms ***** tyranny and oppression, both ecclesiastical and governmental" (***** C. Labriola). His works were not without controversy and fame.

He married Mary Po***** in 1642 and Skerpan-Wheeler asserts that this ***** probably an arranged marriage because ***** fa*****r owed Powell's father money. ***** returned to her family within months of becoming married ***** after external pressure, she returned to Milton ***** they had a daughter, Anne. His marriage endured troubles, however, and this prompted him to write many ***** ***** divorce. He takes on c*****ventional thought by using the government as an *****alogy for his argument that if a nation can divorce itself from a failing monarch, then a husband or w*****e should be able ***** ***** him or ********** ***** a ***** or wife that is incompatible. Milton continued to write about concerns ***** his day, including education, art, logic, and religious doctrine. Milton's eyesight began going ***** by 1652, he was totally blind. His wife died in childbirth to t*****ir third daughter. In 1656, Milton ***** again to Katherine, who ***** in 1658. In 1663, Mil*****n married Elizabeth Minshull and is noted to have lived a peaceful life with her.

T*****e is no doubt ***** Milton's political beliefs affected his writing. T*****